Eagle huntress

These stunning photographs show the changing face of a majestic centuries old Kazakh pastime tradition that still lives in the lands of mongolia - eagle hunters. The pictures focus on 13-year-old Irka Bolen - who is being trained to work with these birds of prey (golden eagles).

Set in the beautifully mountains of Bayan -Ulgii province, in the far west of the open steppes of Mongolia, the photographer centres on Irkas power over the bird. Tradition-wise, only when a boy turns 13, and he’s strong enough to carry the weight of a grown eagle, his father starts training him in the ancient hunting technique. They say, that in the Kazakh tradition, there’s over a thousand ways of training and hunting using the eagle, and each family masters their own special technique. (Caters)